Like the Petr Bezruč Memorial in Opava, the Petr Bezruč Chalet is administered by the Silesian Museum. It is a furnished building, with emphasis being placed on preserving the authentic atmosphere of the chalet from the period when it was inhabited by Petr Bezruč.
Petr Bezruč (1867–1958, real name Vladimír Vašek) is one of the most significant representatives of Czech poetry at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. His contribution to literature consists of the solitary collection Silesian Songs. These exceptional poems have no equivalent in Czech literature, nor does Bezruč’s celebrated creative method. The author has been classified by literary historians amongst the generation of so-called ‘anarchist rebels’ and his works were influenced by symbolism and Czech Modernism.
The reeve’s house in Staré Hamry (now Ostravice) was purchased jointly by Petr Bezruč and his friend, the poet Otakar Bystřina. Bezruč liked the place mainly because the Ostravice flowed not far from the house. Bezruč loved the water and never turned down an opportunity to swim in the icy-cold river.
The two poets made the old reeve’s house their summer residence. Following Bystřina’s death, however, ownership of the property was divided. Bezruč received the barn of the former reeve’s house, part of the garden, a forest clearing and the forest. With the help of some friends, he rebuilt the barn, according to his own design, to an inhabitable chalet, which stands in this form to the present day.
The exhibition at the Petr Bezruč Chalet presents the authentic environment of the poet’s summer residence and touches on his life story and the Beskydy region, which he immortalised in his Silesian Songs. To enrich your visit, we have provided a printed guidebook, which you can purchase at the same time as your tickets.
Article last updated: 30.07.2012
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